


Old Enough To Sign, Not Old Enough To Die

by rarmaster



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, SLIDES IN HERE WITH MY KHX HEADCANONS!!!!!!!!, they're only Talking About It but..... yannooo......, ummmm cw for war / child soldiers i guess because Thanks KHX
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 23:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7335094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarmaster/pseuds/rarmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"I'm sure the Keyblade chose them for good reason."</i>
  <br/>
  <i>"And I'm sure it wasn't to FIGHT IN A WAR!"</i>
</p>
<p>In which Ava has some very stern words for her fellow Foretellers concerning the looming war and the Keyblade-wielding children they've been charged to look after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Enough To Sign, Not Old Enough To Die

**Author's Note:**

> i have [a lot of very specific KHx war-time headcanons](http://rarmaster.tumblr.com/post/145671134890/these-are-probably-all-gonna-get-debunked-but-i) and well. here's the start of them. [finger guns]

“Alright, Ava, why did you want us to meet?” Ira asked, from his place across the table. As he said this, Invi and Aced both turned their attentions to her, and Ava took an unsteady breath.

“I… I wanted to talk about the war that’s- that’s supposed to happen,” Ava said cautiously. She clutched a hand in front of her chest. She was a little nervous, especially knowing this was a touchy subject, and seeing as Invi had argued her on this before, but… it _needed_ to be said!

Aced, from his seat adjacent to Ava (currently, he was sitting, but she knew that wouldn’t last long) let out a groan that was more like a growl, especially when it came from under that bear mask. Invi let out a deep sigh from her seat next to Ira. (She was sitting, while Ira stood.) Gula, from his seat _on top_ of the table, only chuckled to himself. His back was to them all, and Ava wasn’t entirely sure he was listening.

“We’ve already exhausted all things we could say about the war,” Aced argued—of course, Ava could not see his face, but there was a gruffness in his tone. An impatience. He held himself rigidly.

Sighing, Ira leaned forward, resting his hands and his weight on the edge of the table. “He’s right, Ava, we’ve been over this,” he said slowly, shaking his head. “There’s nothing we can do.”

“But we have to _try!_ ” Ava shouted. How could they not understand this?

Ira lowered his head. Aced seemed to grow more tense. Invi reached a hand out towards Ava.

“Ava…” she began.

“Why?” Gula laughed, before Invi could say anything more. He turned himself around, swinging his legs onto the table with the rest of him, folding them under himself. There was a smirk on his lips. “If we can’t stop it, we can’t stop it! Why put the effort into trying?”

Ava bristled, hating how he could _possibly_ sound so casual about this. Did he really miss the point, or was he just trying to egg her on?

“The _children,_ ” Ava hissed, rounding on him. He put his hands up in the air and leaned a little bit away from her—more of a disinterested gesture than one of surrender. “If- If there is _war,_ then all the children we look after will have to fight in it. We cannot ask that of them!”

“Yes, we _can,_ ” Aced said.

“But they’re _children!_ ”

“And, as Keyblade wielders, it is their _duty_ to protect the World!” Aced pushed himself to his feet, sending his chair scraping across the floor. He leaned across the table at Ava, and she glared up at him. She was used to being towered over, so his height and bulk did nothing to intimidate her, only frustrate her.

“By fighting in a _war?_ ” she countered, feeling triumphant, certain. “Since when is starting a war going to do _anything_ in the way of protecting the World!?” she demanded, pounding a finger into the table as she leaned in to meet Aced’s stare.

“I don’t want war, either,” came Ira’s sharp voice. “But the Master said we cannot stop it, even if we tried.”

Ava rounded on him now. “So?” She drew herself up to her full height, which, wasn’t that tall, but she was confident enough in her argument that she didn’t mind. “We should try anyway. There must be _something_ we can do!”

“Give it _up,_ Ava,” Gula groaned up to the ceiling. He sounded like he just wanted her to be done so he could get back to… whatever it was, he did.

“I… I don’t think it’s entirely right, either,” Invi agreed, slowly. She did not look in Ava’s direction, but rather at the floor behind Ira. “Forcing the children to fight in a war against their will.”

“ _Thank you,”_ Ava sighed, relieved. Maybe, despite what Invi had told her in private, Invi would back her up in front of everyone else. Or, maybe Invi’d changed her mind.

“But…” Invi continued, and Ava’s relief vanished. Never mind, then. She hadn’t changed her mind at all. “I think if the children wish to fight, then there isn’t going to be anything we can do to stop them.” She hesitated there, a moment, but then she looked up at Ava, meeting her eye. She asked the same question she’d asked before: “Shouldn’t they get a choice?”

Ava bit her lip to hold in a groan, or something worse. She supposed Invi had a point, but as far as Ava was concerned, when it came to the prospect of war, _it didn’t matter._ No children should be allowed to fight in a war, whether they wanted to or not! It was their duty, as Foretellers, as the guardians and teachers of these children, to do what was _best_ for them. Finding a way to avoid turning all the children into _soldiers_ certainly fell under that umbrella, did it not?

“Ira, please,” Ava tried, turning to him now. “You must know this is wrong. We can’t ask children to fight in a war for us!”

Ira’s knuckles went white in the fists he was making against the table, his head still down. “We don’t even know who’s going to start the war, or anything about why it’s going to happen,” he said. “But if it is a war against the Darkness, then, when the time comes…” He looked up to her, only the barest note of apology in his voice. “I’m sorry, Ava. We’ll need everyone we can to help set things right.”

Ava slumped, letting her shoulders fall. She reached up under her mask to press at her eyes—she wasn’t crying (yet), but tears of frustration burned behind her eyelids.

“ _Exactly,_ ” Aced said, like it was obvious. “These children know what they signed up for when they chose the Keyblade.”

Ava recoiled, appalled. She pulled her hand away from her face. “They didn’t choose _it!_ It chose _them_!!”

“And I’m sure for good reason.”

Was he _serious_? Ava couldn’t believe him!

“And _I’m_ sure it wasn’t to _FIGHT IN A WAR!_ ” she yelled, stepping towards him, glaring up into his face. Aced continued to tower over her, mouth only slightly turned downwards. The Keyblade pulled in the back of Ava’s mind but, _no,_ she wouldn’t summon it. She _wouldn’t,_ even though maybe she wanted to.

“Ava!” Ira snapped.

She sent an annoyed glance at him, but backed off from Aced. Her mind reeled with new arguments, because she had to change their minds. She had to—

“Please, Ava,” Invi said, interrupting Ava’s thoughts. She wondered if Invi knew what was on going on inside her head. But, of course she did. “There’s nothing we can do. Even if it _was_ what is best for them… If we cannot stop a war, then what makes you think we could possibly change the minds of a thousand children?”

Ava swallowed her argument. She lowered her head, defeated. Invi had a point, and she _hated_ it.

“Anyway, unless we have anything else to discuss…” Ira paused a moment, waiting to see if anyone took up that offer. When no one responded, he continued: “There’s no reason to continue this meeting. You can be on your way.”

He was the first to leave, followed shortly by Aced. Invi hesitated, but after a moment, she too left. That just left Ava with Gula.

“Gula…” she began, as he made to get off the table.

“Why are you asking me?” he laughed.

“You’re the only one who hasn’t really given an opinion on—”

Gula hopped off the table, chuckling. He leaned towards her, his lips drawn into a smile that seemed fitting under his leopard mask.

“You know what I think?” he asked. Ava swore the eyes of his mask lit up as he stared her down. There was laughter in his voice. “Let the kids do whatever the hell they want!”

“But—”

He took a step towards her, his smile widening. “Please, Ava, Invi’s right! If we can’t stop this war, then we can’t change the kids’ minds. Besides, you kind of need _soldiers_ for a war, don’t you? And if we can’t stop the war, well…” He shrugged and sent her a mock-apologetic look. His voice dripped with insincerity.

“ _Gula_!”

He only chuckled and pulled away, waving a hand at her as he made for the exit. “Catch ya later, Av!” he called, and then he was gone.

Ava glared at his retreating form, and then at the doorway long after he’d vanished from sight. She couldn’t stand anyone’s _the-children-will-have-to-fight_ attitude on this matter, but his was the _worst_! He was so casual about it. As if it truly meant nothing to him!

“Hmph!” she said to herself.

Maybe…

Maybe Invi was right, though. And, Gula probably was too.

She couldn’t change the minds of over a thousand children.

But maybe she could change the minds of a few…

 


End file.
